The Whirling Wind
by Icestorm711
Summary: When forbidden love in ShadowClan turns out to become just the start to unravel more dark secrets and a disastrous prophecy... Permanent Hiatus sorry guys.
1. Prologue

**Hello everyone! This is my first fanfic posted here!**

**For people who have already read it, I have edited some of my chapters to better ones (I hope). This one was for the cause of a triple bingo in French (remember, Shadowgin?) :P**

**Anyways, please enjoy, and don't forget to review! :)**

**Thanks, Icestorm711**

Prologue

"The kits are coming!"

Swallowtail hared across the clearing and into the medicine cat's den as fast as her swollen belly would allow.

Flamepelt drowsily lifted her head, disturbed by the commotion.

Screeching to a stop, the queen crashed into the brambles shielding the den. "Flamepelt! Tawnypelt's kits are coming!"

At once, Flamepelt bolted out of her nest. Holding back her panic, she ducked into the supply den, snatching up the needed herbs. She dashed across into the nursery and found Rowanclaw crouching beside his mate, his claws tearing out pawfuls of moss.

"Out! Get her some water to drink!" Flamepelt snapped at the tom before shoving him out of the den.

Rowanclaw muttered something inaudible and receded, his pawsteps traveling towards the camp's entrance.

Swallowtail poked her head in. "I'll be outside. Call me if you need anything."

Flamepelt gave her a grateful nod. She heard the pregnant queen sit down with a huff, not so agile as she was before.

Her attention focused back onto Tawnypelt.

The queen's belly was contracting as powerful waves rippled through.

"Flamepelt…" she moaned.

"It's okay, Tawnypelt. It'll be a while before they come." Flamepelt answered softly.

Just then, Rowanclaw appeared again, clutching a humongous wad of moss, quenched with lake water. His eyes flew towards his mate as he set down the moss. "How is she?"

Tawnypelt urged her patient to drink; it was a while before she meowed to him. "She's okay, Rowanclaw, but you can't stay here. Go out and patrol or something."

Rowanclaw opened his mouth as if to argue, but a scorching glare from the medicine cat silenced him.

"I'll find you some prey, Tawnypelt," he mumbled, "see you later."

"Bye…" Tawnypelt's farewell turned into an anguished yowl as the contractions came again, stronger.

Casting one last glance back, Rowanclaw went out again, his paws shuffling as he made his way towards the fresh-kill pile.

"Thanks for getting him out of my fur," Tawnypelt murmured, her attempt at humor fading as she winced again.

"Not long now," Flamepelt grabbed a bunch of raspberry leaves, chewed them into a pulp and fed it to the tawny queen.

Gulping big mouthfuls of air, Tawnypelt twitched as painful spasms made her open her mouth with a soundless wail.

"Come on, you can do it!" mewed Flamepelt soothingly.

Flamepelt put her paw onto the queen's belly and knew that it was time for the kits to arrive.

"Push, Tawnypelt, push!" she meowed over Tawnypelt's loud yowl.

A tom's head suddenly pushed into the den and blocked the sunlight flooding in.

"Are they coming? Is she okay? Do I… " He asked with an anxious look on his face.

"Rowanclaw, she's fine! Now get out!" the medicine cat hissed exasperatedly.

Offended, Rowanclaw drew back. Turning back to her patient, she could see the kit's head.

"You're almost there! Push!" she encouraged the exhausted queen.

Tawnypelt arched her back, gave a yowl, and the kit plopped out. Flamepelt quickly nipped open the sac and the kit took in its first breath, its tiny pink mouth gaping wide.

"Welcome, little one," she whispered as she tucked the kit into the curve of her mother's belly.

Suddenly, Flamepelt had a vision. The kit was a full-grown warrior, and was teaching a white cat to recognize herbs. Less than a heartbeat later, she was back to reality.

_Great Starclan! Is she going to be my apprentice? _Flamepelt wondered. Quickly, she felt Tawnypelt's belly.

"It's over, mom," she smiled as the kit suckled for milk.

Tawnypelt gasped, "She's so beautiful!"

"Rowanclaw!" Flamepelt called.

At once, the tom was inside the den. Crossing it in one bound, he reached his mate and licked her tenderly between the ears. His eyes moistened as he spotted his offspring, her tiny eyes squeezed shut.

"She's beautiful! Thank you, Flamepelt." He turned his attention towards her, his eyes warm and glittering.

Flamepelt dipped her head towards her father, and disappeared out of the den, the remaining herbs grasped his her jaws.

Nosing her kit, Tawnypelt spotted a whirl-shaped pattern on her forehead. "I'll call you Whirlkit." Rowanclaw murmured in agreement.

_Whirlkit…_

**OH!**

**And from some of my reviewers, I've noticed that I've changed poor Flamepelt/tail's gender AND name. Woops, but please please bear with me! I'm so sorry! Don't throw anything just yet! :P**


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"You can't catch me!" Emberkit teased as he dodged around the huffing Whirlkit.

Older than his den mate by three moons, Emberkit was having a fun time throwing balls of moss at Whirlkit, and pretending that it wasn't him.

"Not fair!" Whirlkit cried, her tail lashing indignantly.

_I'll show him! _

Narrowing her eyes, she let a moss ball fly, and it smacked Emberkit straight on his forehead. Whirlkit gleefully turned away and padded back to the den with the astonished tom kit staring after her, the remnants of the moss still stuck on his head.

Suddenly, Whirlkit stopped. She peered curiously behind a big slab of rock, wondering whet that smell was. Inside the rock, Flamepelt, the medicine cat sensed a new presence and stuck her head out.

_Whirlkit! I wonder if she has medical abilities just like the vision…_

"Hi, Flamepelt! Can I see?" Whirlkit pleaded with big brown eyes.

Waving her tail at the kit to beckon her over, Flamepelt led the way into her cave.

"This is the medicine cat den. I'm treating a patient now. Wanna come in?" Flamepelt invited.

Whirlkit nodded, her eyes gleaming. On a bed of moss, a tom lay groaning with pain. Whirlkit's eyes widened when she saw the ugly wound on his shoulder with blood trickling down it. Then, she got a good view of the tom's face. It was Tigerheart, her uncle!

"Tigerheart! Are you okay?" she mewed, "Is that a battle wound?"

"Nah, it's just that he crashed into a thorn bush without looking! I personally think that no cat could have done even dumber things that that!" Flamepelt meowed, and shot a sideways glare at her brother.

Tigerheart shrugged and winced with pain "Whatev…ow…" he muttered. Flamepelt disappeared into her storage room and came out with a jaw full of leafs with a sharp tang.

"What are those?" Whirlkit asked curiously.

"It's marigold, good for infections." The medicine cat replied promptly. She started to chew the leaves up into a pulp and spread some onto the wound, making Tigerheart wince again.

"Sis, softer!" he mewed between gritted teeth.

With every move, Whirlkit felt her curiosity grow larger and larger until she asked slowly, "Can I try?" Flamepelt studied her for a moment and mewed her assent. Whirlkit dabbed her paw into the sickly green pulp and drew it carefully over the long red scratch. Flamepelt did not make a sound but was carefully assessing her progress.

After every inch was covered with paste, making Tigerheart's shoulder seem to sprout grass, Whirlkit tuned and mewed, "Is that okay?"

Flamepelt knew at once that this was the cat destined to become her apprentice. Hesitating for a heartbeat, she nodded at the little kit.

"Whirlkit, do you want to become my apprentice. You seem to have a knack for medicine," she mewed. Whirlkit felt something in her heart stir. She nodded vigorously and ran around with mews of pleasure.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" she cried happily. Flamepelt smiled and told the excited kit to go back to her den.

After she had disappeared behind the rock, Tigerheart asked, "Are you sure about her?"

"I've never been surer in my whole life!" the medicine replied, flicking the end of her tail at her brother. She left the den, causing her brother to stare astoundingly after her.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

" Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather around for a Clan meeting!" a voice sounded from the High Hill. A mew of excitement came from the nursery's entrance, and through the brambles, Whirlkit was madly chasing her own tail while her mother tried to tidy her up.

"It's your big day today!" Snowrose meowed from her nest, where her belly was bulging with the kits she was going to bear.

"I know it's her big day but can't she stop moving?" Tawnypelt mewed in distress, as once again, she did not catch her kit. Suddenly, Rownclaw swooped in and snatched the kit up by the scruff of her neck.

"Listen to your mother, Whirlkit, or I'll postpone your apprentice ceremony!" he mewed sternly. Gasping with outrage, Whirlkit stood still enough for her mother to lick her clean.

"Okay, I think you're ready," her mother mewed through a mouthful of kit fur. Giving her one last lick on her head, Whirlkit followed her father out into the dazzling sunlight. Blackstar stood high on the hill, while the Clan assembled underneath him. Seeing Emberpaw sitting beside his mentor, Toadfoot, she waved her tail in greeting but was too excited to speak.

"Go on, up to that hill," her father encouraged, a proud glint in his eye. Whirlkit stalked off, her tail held high, but when everyone turned to look at her, she felt a bit embarrassed. Finally, she reached the foot of the hill, and Blackstar started his speech.

"This kit has lived with us for six moons, and now it is time for her to become an apprentice. Whirlkit, until you earned your warrior name, you will be known as Whirlpaw. Your mentor will be Flamepelt."

" Whirlpaw! Whirlpaw!" the Clan cheered delightfully. The newly named Whirlpaw looked around with a glimmer of happiness. She was going to be a medicine cat apprentice! The crowd parted and Flamepelt stepped out.

" Flamepelt, you have been a great medicine cat since Littlecloud died, and I hope that you will l pass all you know to your apprentice." Blackstar yowled down the hill.

"Of course, I'll be delighted to," she replied.

Flamepelt looked almost as happy as her apprentice, and bent down to touch noses with her.

"I'll work hard!' Whirlpaw promised.

"I'm sure you will," Flamepelt mewed back to her feisty apprentice.

"Whirlpaw! Flamepelt! Whirlpaw! Flamepelt!" the Clan cheered ecstatically.

_I'm an apprentice now! _Whirlpaw thought. Blackstar jumped down from the hill, indicating that the meeting was over. Almost at once, the Clan began to crowd between the two cats, cheering and congratulating them. Emberpaw strolled over with a disappointed look on his face.

"Too bad we can't be in the same den."

"yeah, but I bet I can beat you in hunting!" Whirlpaw countered.

"Hmmph!" Emberpaw sniffed, but gave her a lick just the same.

Dashing over, Tawnypelt smothered her kit with proud licks and purred so hard she sounded like a rusty old engine. Whirlpaw ducked away with a mew of protest and her father glanced at her with shining eyes.

"Good luck, Whirlpaw," he mewed.


	4. Chapter 3

**Thanks to Shadowgin, I've reviewed this chapter and posted it again! YAY! And no, it's not offending, Shadowgin.**

**Hem, hem, review it again then! :)**

****Weak sunlight filtered in through the rock cleft, and Whirlpaw woke up. Blinking the sleep out of her eyes, she turned around to see the rise and fall of her sleeping mentor's chest. After the ceremony, she had followed Flamepelt to the den, and she had shown her some basic herbs, like marigold and daisy. Whirlpaw's stomach growled impatiently at her, so she silently stood up and padded out of the den, shaking moss scraps from her pelt.

Blackstar was sharing tongues with his mate, Snowrose, outside the nursery. Both of them waved their tail in greeting to her. Approaching the fresh-kill pile, Whirlpaw picked out a vole for herself and a mouse for her mentor.

She spotted Emberpaw approaching her with a squirrel in his jaws. Glancing at her shyly, he set the small body down.

"Hey."

"Morning, Emberpaw," Whirlpaw replied, suddenly feeling a bit dizzy.

Emberpaw scuffled his paws on the ground. "I… um… You wanna eat together?" he asked, suddenly taking a large interest on a beetle crawling between them.

"Sure!"

Emberpaw's head shot up, and his eyes widened in happiness and surprise, staring at her intensely. "Great!" he mewed, looking as happy as if StarClan themselves landed in their camp. Emberpaw settled himself beside her. When their pelts brushed against each other's, they turned as one to gaze at the other, and then averted their eyes at the same time.

Breaking the silence, Emberpaw mewed, "so? How's it going?"

Swallowing her bite, Whirlpaw nodded thoughtfully. " Good, I guess. It's really cool! Don't you think preparing herbs and healing your Clanmates are better than fighting and border patrols?"

Emberpaw almost choked on him mouthful of squirrel. "Erm NO! I'd prefer battle over sticky goopy mixtures any day!" Softening his tone, he added, "I still wish you had been a normal apprentice with me." His eyes showed affection, even longing, for her.

Whirlpaw bit back a sharp retort when he mewed the last part. Her eyes met his, two dark pools with such intense emotion. She could feel herself blushing as she turned back to her half finished vole, concentrating on chewing as if it was the last thing she was going to do. But she could still feel Emberpaw's gaze boring into her.

_We just friends! Aren't we? So why do I feel like this? _Whirlpaw consoled herself. _It's just because we were friends from when I was born. Nothing else. _

Suddenly, a soft paw pinned her to the ground.

"Ha! Warrior apprentice skills win!" Emberpaw crowed.

"Oh yeah?"

Acting on instinct, Whirlpaw heaved herself up, scrabbling at his belly with sheathed claws. With a grunt, Emberpaw was flung away, and she leaped over, bowling him to the ground and pinning his limbs under her own.

"Ha! Now who's winning?" Satisfied, Whirlpaw got up, shaking dust from her pelt. Emberpaw rose, shaking his head in mock dismay.

"Oh medicine cats. Always sneaking out and practicing for themselves."

Whirlpaw rounded onto him, stopping in her tracks when she saw the teasing glint in his eyes. She was about to make a rebuke when she remembered something.

"Oh mouse dung! Flamepelt!" she cursed herself for forgetting about her mentor.

Devouring the rest of her meal, she quickly snatched up the mouse. Before she could dash back to the den, Emberpaw padded up and pressed his muzzle to hers.

"See you later."

Whirlpaw, handicapped by the mouse, waved her tail in farewell and hurried back. As she ducked into the den, Whirlpaw saw Flamepelt up and washing, her white forepaw smoothing down rumpled fur on her chest. She stifled a greeting as she nudged the mouse to her. Whirlpaw stiffened when Flamepelt opened her mouth.

"Thanks, Whirlpaw. I'll take you out to the forest to bring some juniper berries back. We're low in stock," she mewed, while eating her meal in neat, rapid bites.

Whirlpaw breathed a sigh of relief. She hadn't overheard their conversation outside!

"What are juniper berries like?" She asked curiously.

"Come on, follow me," her mentor replied after demolishing the last bite, swiping an appreciative tongue over her lips.

Leading the way into the storage room, Flamepelt pointed to a small pile of dull red and purple berries with her tail, indicating that they were juniper berries.

"They're used for bellyaches or if you have a fever," she explained, "remember them, okay? They're really useful."

Whirlpaw nodded, taking in every word her mentor said. Flamepelt padded out of the den with Whirlpaw following close behind.

The pine trees cast dark shadows onto the needle-strewn ground. Sunlight washed over boulders and stumps, bathing them in warm yellow. After they took the path out of the camp, Flamepelt instructed, "See if you can recognize the berries. Try to find them here. They're quite close."

Whirlpaw took a deep breath and a great jumble of scents washed over her. Mouse, squirrel, oh! Wasn't that Blackstar? She shook her head, trying to clear away the useless scents. Somehow, she indentified a scent like the one in the storage den. Following the scent, she walked to a clump of white flowers.

"Those aren't juniper!" she mewed in dismay.

"No, but that's okay. Do you know what they are?" Flamepelt asked.

Focusing her thoughts to the day before, she mewed triumphantly, "They're daisy, right? I remember them from what you told me yesterday."

Flamepelt's eyes widened a bit with surprise and replied, "Yeah, that's correct. Here, let me show you now to pull the whole plant out. You have to leave a few for them there to grow again next season, though."

Flamepelt slowly grasped the daisy's stem from below in her jaws and tugged, not hard to break it, but not without strength either. The plant came out, roots and all.

"Here, you try," she gestured with her mouth clamped over the herb.

Whirlpaw copied her mentor's gentle, easy movements, closed her eyes against the pungent smell and pulled. Hearing a loud crack, she opened her eyes. Whirlpaw had broken the stem in half. Flamepelt winced, but settled her expression into an encouraging one.

"It's okay, Whirlpaw. Try again."

Whirlpaw nodded, her mind focusing on the daisy. She tugged, and was quickly followed by another crack. Whirlpaw let the stem fall. Her tongue stung with the bitter sap that had seeped in, and her heart drooped.

"I can't, Flamepelt." Whirlpaw was distressed. Was what Emberpaw said true?

"Yes, you can, Whirlpaw. Think gentle. Pull slowly up," her mentor's quiet voice came.

Whirlpaw steadied herself with a deep breath. Extending her neck, she grasped one of the unharmed plants on her jaws. She imagined herself gently pulling a feather out of a crack to use in the nursery. With the vivid picture in her mind, Whirlwind slowly tugged. The daisy stem slid out as easy as a newborn kit, with small clumps of dirt hanging onto the roots.

"I did it!" she cried, overjoyed.

"Perfect!" Flamepelt praised, and watched her apprentice's eyes narrow with pleasure.

The two cats worked in silence and collected a small heap of daisy.

"Let's go, we still need to find the juniper berries. The bush is about as tall as my shoulder, and it has dark green leaves." Flamepelt meowed, stretching her muscles.

Whirlpaw nodded, spitting out the last stem. Flamepelt showed her how to tie

Suddenly, they passed a bush loaded with blood red berries.

"Is it that one?" Whirlpaw asked, outstretching a paw to pluck a pawful off.

"Whirlpaw! Stop!" Flamepelt ordered sternly.

Surprised, Whirlpaw's paw froze in mid-touch, and she turned to gaze at her mentor.

"Those are deathberries, or known to Twolegs as yew. Three of them will kill even the strongest warrior. Breathe in deeply, Whirlpaw, and remember NEVER to touch them."

Flamepelt softened her tone when she saw the frightened apprentice trembling, "Don't worry. Every cay makes mistakes. Just don't do it again."

Whirlpaw sniffed and tried to remember, her heart pounding. Another second and she would have touched them! After she had steadied her breathing, the two cats padded side by side again, trying to locate the juniper berries.

"Aha!" Whirlpaw suddenly mewed, pointing with her tail. On the left, a large bush laden with dull purple and red berries stood under the shade of an oak tree.

"I found it!' she cried, pleased with herself.

"Yep, those are the ones. You'll have to bite the stems of as well but don't strip the bush, okay? I'll go get some marigold. I think maybe three pawful's will be enough," Her mentor called over her shoulder as she walked away to the marigold plants.

Whirlpaw concentrated on biting the stems and tried not to destory a berry in half by accident. The berries flooded her mouth with scents of the forest and Flamepelt's storage room, as she eased them off the bush one by one.

After she had loaded all her berries onto a wide leaf, she mewed loudly, "Flamepelt! I'm done!"

"Be right there!' her mentor's voice came from far away.

After a couple of heartbeats, Flamepelt appeared, her jaws full of the green leaves and the bright yellow flowers of marigold. Gesturing for Whirlpaw to follow her, the two she-cats padded back into the camp where they set their heavy loads carefully down.

"Whew!" The aroma of berries filled the air, and Whirlpaw felt as if she would be juniper-scented for a couple of moons.

The setting sun cast red streaks into the fern-covered camp and many cats were drowsily sharing tongues with each other. Whirlpaw saw Emberpaw sitting outside of the apprentices' den, which he shared tongues with the sisters Falconpaw and Nightpaw.

Spotting Whirlpaw, he jumped up and walked over, "Hey! How was your day?"

"Nice!" Whirlpaw replied.

Emberpaw snuck a glance at Flamepelt. "Would you mind, erm, you know…" he stammered.

"Go on, Whirlpaw. Come into the den when you're finished," Flamepelt mewed with a knowing glimmer in her eye, before heaving the berries back up with a sigh.

Passing her apprentice, she brushed her muzzle against her fur, whispering into her ear, "Keep you heart safe, Whirlpaw. Remember, you are bound by the code."

Whirlpaw opened her mouth for a swift reply but came up with none. Her ears burned with embarrassment.

Inside, her heart was hammering and the clearing spun. _We're just friends! _It was almost as if she was persuading herself rather that her mentor.

When her vision cleared, the only part of Flamepelt she could see was her tail disappearing into the rock cleft.

Whirlpaw was fuming. Turning around, she saw Emberpaw dragging a fat rabbit out of the fresh kill pile. The two cats settled down and started tucking into the prey. As the sun fought to shine its last rays into the camp, other cats started filing in. Rowanclaw pushed himself in from the fern entrance, two mice dangling from his jaws. Setting one down on the fresh kill pile, he glanced around, his eyes lighting up when he saw Tawnypelt squeezing out from the warrior's den. He hurried to intercept her, and his mate purred as she caught sight of him. Brushing his muzzle against hers, Rowanclaw set the mouse down and the two cats began to eat.

Whirlpaw felt a pang. She would never be like that. She couldn't.

But she wasn't good at herbs either. She had pretty much destroyed half of Flamepelt's daisy supply and had almost eaten a deathberry! Maybe she wasn't cut out to be a medicine cat as she thought.

Whirlpaw sighed.

Emberpaw glanced up and swallowed hastily. "Are you okay?"

Whirlpaw inhaled deeply and confessed, "I don't think I'm good enough to be a medicine cat."

Emberpaw looked shocked. "Of course you are!"

"No! I almost killed myself!" she retorted.

"You'll get better, Whirlpaw. Trust in yourself." Another deeper voice cut into their conversation.

"Flamepelt!"

"It's okay, Whirlpaw. Every cat makes mistakes. Littlecloud almost had my tail for what I did when I was his apprentice!" Flamepelt purred with amusement at his memories.

Whirlpaw felt a heavy weight lifted from her shoulders. "Thanks, Flamepelt."

Her mentor's tone changed, "Now, Whirlpaw, I think you should finish up, shouldn't you? You don't want to stay out here the whole night," she added dryly.

Whirlpaw glanced over towards Emberpaw. "I should go now."

Emberpaw nodded. He stretched out his neck as if to lick her, but reeled awkwardly back again, his eyes darting towards her mentor. "Bye then," he mewed, backing off into the apprentice's den.

"Come on." Flamepelt's eyes were unreadable as she led the way back into the den.

Casting one more glance back at the spot where Emberpaw disappeared, the brambles covering the den swaying, Whirlpaw ducked into the cleft, her head swarming with his soft fur and warm eyes.


	5. Chapter 4

The first of the night's stars sprinkled across the inky black sky. The half moon hung eerily in the sky. The cats in Shadowclan were mostly out for a bit of night hunting, leaving others to chat or sleep. Inside the medicine cat's den, Whirlpaw sorted out the herbs inside the storage room. Her mentor, Flamepelt, padded out with two bundles of herbs clutched in her jaws. The herbs muffled her mews until she set them down.

"What?" Whirlpaw questioned her.

"We're going to the Moonpool tonight. It's the half moon! Then, you can be made a true medicine cat apprentice." Flamepelt mewed.

The air in the den swirled with anticipation.

"Are… Are you sure? I'm really going?" Whirlpaw mewed, unable to believe her mentor's words.

"Yes, I'm sure, you dumb furball," Flamepelt mewed, barely suppressing a purr of amusement.

"Yay! I'm going to the Moonpool, going to the Moonpool…"

Suddenly, a very frazzled Rowanclaw stuck his head is and grunted, "What in the name of Starclan are y…"

"Dad! I'm going to be a true medicine cat apprentice!" Whirlpaw squeaked excitedly, running around in circles.

Rowanclaw's annoyed expression vanished and he bent down to whisper in her ear, "I'm proud of you, Whirlpaw. May Starclan guide your path."

"How are we going to get there? Are the other medicine cats coming with us? When are we going to get th…"

Flamepelt was bombarded with heaps of questions the minute they had left the silence of the camp. Pigeons flew away in fright, giving loud calls, and squirrels chattered angrily at them from the safety of their tree hole.

After a particularly long volley of questions, Flamepelt replied patiently, "Whirlpaw, stop asking too many questions. All will be made clear to you there. Besides," she added, "I think that the others are already here."

As the two she-cats stepped out into Windclan's moors, they found a smoky gray tom with a cream-colored she-cat, a white and brown tortoiseshell, and a short little tom waiting for them already.

"Greetings, Flamepelt. Is this your new apprentice?" the tortoiseshell asked as she dipped her head.

"Greetings Willowshine. My apprentice is called Whirlpaw. Whirlpaw, this is Willowshine, from Riverclan" the tortoiseshell eyed her with interest, "Jayfeather and his apprentice Cherrypaw, from Thunderclan" the gray tom grunted in approval while the creamy she-cat mewed, "hey!" "And finally, this is Kestrlewing from Windclan," the tiny tom dipped his head as well.

"Come on, we're wasting moonlight," Jayfeather growled and started to sniff his way to the Moonpool.

"Why is he sniffing?" Whirlpaw whispered to Cherrypaw when they were setting off, thinking that Jayfeather looked very queer, with his nose to the ground.

"Oh, my mentor's blind. But don't make fun of him. He's great with his nose!" Cherrypaw replied when she checked that no one was within earshot.

"Kay…" Whirlpaw replied doubtfully.

The two cats started to walk in silence when the older medicine cats were a little ahead of them, talking about the best ways to treat infected scratches, bellyaches…

After a few moments, the barren ground beneath them turned into a rocky path, and pebbles cracked and skittered under their paws. The ground began to slope upward, until they reached a jagged rock wall. Rocks glittered and shone under the strong moonlight. The elder cats and Cherrypaw began to climb without hesitating, and Whirlpaw marveled on how Jayfeather could have kept his footing.

Flamepelt hung back and called to the hesitating apprentice.

"Whirlpaw! Come on! It's not hard! See where there are little cracks where you can put your paws in? Just hang on with your claws and push with you hind legs! You'll be fine! I'll be right behind you to catch you if you fall, okay?" she told Whirlpaw.

Whirlpaw nodded with fear and anticipation. Slowly, she began to climb up. Pawstep by pawstep, Whirlpaw inched up until she heaved herself onto the very top.

Suddenly, she gasped.

Tucked in between intertwining stone paths, cradled the most magnificent pool she had ever seen. Starlight shone off of the surface, and ripples dotted the pool. Sparkling like a gem, the bright half moon was reflected in the middle of the pool, and translucent Starclan cats sat in a circle around it.

"Wow…"

Whirlpaw wished that she could just stand there and watch it forever. The other cats were taking respective places around the pool, and sat neatly, waiting for something to happen.

"Go on," Whirlpaw heard her mentor encourage. She stepped onto a path and wound her way down beside the edge of the pool. Flamepelt followed her, and every cat turned to look at them.

Flamepelt mewed, her voice echoing of the boundaries, "Spirits of Starclan, I ask you to look down onto this kit. Whirlpaw, is it your wish to enter the mystical world of medicine cats?"

"It is," Whirlpaw mewed with a tremor of excitement in her voice, but no fear.

"Then I confirm you as a true medicine cat apprentice, and you will learn many things others cannot," Flamepelt finished.

"May Starclan light your path," Kestrelwing mewed solemnly, and the others copied him.

"Now, Whirlpaw, lie down and lick up a few drops of the liquid. Starclan will send you dreams," Flamepelt mewed before lying down herself.

Shivering with excitement, Whirlpaw lapped up a few drops, and felt as if she was in the hottest fire and in the coldest ice. Then, her eyes drooped and everything went black.


	6. Chapter 5

**Yep, Shadowgin! Because of you and your endless tips, I'm gonna acknowledge the people who reviewed (tip number 184? or was it 185?)**

**Thanks to you, of course, and The Ice Within, for reviewing! And I'm gonna take up on Shadowgin's nickname for ya and call you Icy. YAY! :)**

Chapter 5

Whirlpaw opened her eyes a tiny slit. At once, they flew open. Somehow, she knew that they were on the Gathering Island even though she had never been there. Lush forest trees grew in a ring around the outer edge, and green grass covered the ground like a thick carpet. A huge oak tree towered in the middle with its low spreading branches sweeping the ground. When Whirlpaw looked up into the starry sky, she saw that a star was swirling and growing bigger and bigger. It swirled down in front of her disbelieving eyes and transformed into a cat. Starlight wreathed around it, and proudness seemed to fire from the inside of the tom. As he walked towards her, his paws sent up shimmering frost.

"Welcome Whirlpaw. I am Nightstar, once Shadowclan's leader. I am proud that you have accepted this job," his booming meow seemed to travel to the farthest corners of the Earth.

Whirlpaw so wanted to say something but she was tongue-tied, and only managed to nod, wondering where her mentor was.

As if he had read her mind, Nightstar meowed, "Flamepelt? She is on her way, and so is her mentor too."

Once again, a pulsing star flew down and became another starry tom.

"Greetings. My name is Littlecloud, and I was Flamepelt's mentor."

Finally, Whirlpaw managed a timid, "Hi."

Flamepelt came bounding into the clearing a heartbeat after Whirlpaw spoke.

"Nightstar! Littlecloud! Greetings. I see you have been aquatinted with my apprentice" she mewed, stopping in front of them.

"You have chosen well, Flamepelt. She is going to be a medicine cat no other cat can beat," Nightstar meowed.

Flamepelt dipped her head in acknowledgement and suddenly, the cats began to swirl and fade, until Whirlpaw was blinking awake at the Moonpool. _Wow! _She thought. _Did I really go there? _When everyone else had woken up, they set for home. The sun was already rising in the distance, and a tint of pink could be seen on the horizon.

"Goodbye. We have to go to the opposite direction. Until next time." Flamepelt mewed once they had arrived on Windclan's moors again. The cats dipped their heads and both she-cats started back to their own territory, each lost in their own thoughts.

Whirlpaw woke up groggily, yawning and sitting up to give herself a full wash. It had been almost a moon since her first meeting with the other medicine cats, and today, Flamepelt had told her to bring back some burdock root before sunhhigh. The stale and empty nest beside her reminded her that her mentor was treating the elders for fleas and ticks. Whirlpaw slid out of her nest and into the bright sunlight, where she mewed a hello to Emberpaw who was passing by with a fat rabbit dangling from his jaws. He acknowledged her greeting with a flick of his tail. Stifling a yawn, Whirlpaw climbed up the stonewall and went to her task.

Whirlpaw trotted back to camp with three knobby burdock roots clamped in her jaws. Her eyes were watering slightly from the stinging scent. Whirlpaw spotted the Clan gathering beneath the Highrock and she quickly rushed to join them, quickly ducking into the medicine storage den to put her load down.

Blackstar had already emerged from his den and was meowing: "There are two apprentices who deserve their warrior names today, Nightpaw and Falconpaw."

Whirlpaw followed his gaze and saw the apprentices sitting with their tail high and eyes shining.

" Nightpaw and Falconpaw, you have completed your apprenticeship, and it is time for you two to become warriors. Nightpaw, your warrior name will be Nightshadow. StarClan honors your spirit and courage, and we welcome you as a full warrior of Shadowclan."

Blackstar's voice traveled through the whole camp. The newly named Nightshadow licked the leader's shoulder respectfully and backed away to wait for her sister.

"Falconpaw, your warrior name will be Falconmist. Starclan honored your loyalty and perseverance, and we welcome you as a full warrior of Shadowclan."

Blackstar rested his head on Falconmist's forehead, and like her sister, she too licked his shoulder respectfully.

"Nightshadow! Falconmist! Nightshadow! Falconmist!" The Clan cheered as enthusiastically as they could.

"The two new warriors will sit vigil for the night, as the warrior code decrees, but let us celebrate first!" Blackstar called down.

Their Clanmates surrounded Nightshadow and Falconmist in an instant, mewing their new names happily. Their parents Applemarsh and Tuftfur were among the first, purring hard. Whirlpaw trotted over when the mass of cats had dispersed a bit.

"Congratulations! I hope you'll learn not to eat stale frogs again!" she joked, remembering the time when Nightshadow had swallowed a frog that was almost going to be crowfood.

Falconmist nudged her blushing sister's and replied," Well, Whirlpaw, maybe you'll have to treat a stabbed paw next time!"

"Hey!" mewed Nightshadow and bowled her sister over with a mighty cuff.

"See ya!" Whirlpaw mewed over her shoulder, seeing that the two were too engrossed in their fight to speak to her anymore.

Flamepelt came over and praised," Thanks for the burdock, Whirlpaw. At this rate, you'll be made a true medicine cat in no time! Tomorrow, I'll take you out to take care of our catmint. I don't want it to die as it's our best remedy for greencough! I think Mallowkit and her brother Darkkit are going to have their apprentice ceremony tomorrow too, and Toadfoot was strongly hinting that he was going to be a mentor for one of them. Come on, let's finish sorting out our herbs, and then you can do whatever you want for the rest of the day, okay?"

Whirlpaw mewed her thanks happily and trotted back to the den.


	7. Chapter 6

**YAY! My sixth chapter! Thanks to Thieving Alchemist and Shadowgin for reviewing!**

**Thieving Alchemist- Yea I get names mixed up... It was supposed to be Flametail, but once I realized it I had already finished a huge chunk of the story so I was too lazy to change everything. Bear with me, please, and thanks for reviewing! :)**

**Shadow- Yes, yes you and ur endless tips, Shadowgin. *Holds cardboard box full of tips for you to see* SEE? ****And no, I'm not gonna do the math. Review/ chapters= *Shadowgin does it and tells me* ****I'll go review urs! Later!**

The sun hung high in the sky. It was a common duty for Whirlpaw to help the apprentices in caring for the elders. She emerged out of the elders' den with her mouth firmly clamped on a stick with mouse bile. After she had disposed of her load beside the dirtplace, she heard Blackstar yowl the traditional call for a Clan meeting.

"The kits are gonna be apprentices!" Whirlpaw gasped excitedly to herself.

Just after her words, a shrill squeal of plain madness came from the nursery entrance. Mallowkit and Darkkit dashed out, their eyes shining with pleasure. Snowrose chased them around the clearing with mews of dismay, until Blackstar bounded of the Highhill and snatched both of them up in his jaws, depositing them in front of their mother. The Clan gathered around and Snowrose gave her kits a final wash before pushing them towards the Highhill.

"Today, two new apprentices will be made. Darkkit, Marshkit, co..." Blackstar suddenly broke off with a hiss.

Confused, Whirlpaw sniffed deeply and gasped.

Windclan!

Moving at the speed of lightning, Snowrose bundled her two kits into the nursery, muffling their outraged mews. Blackstar leaped down from the Highhill, and warriors formed a protective shield around the queens and elders.

"Quick, Whirlpaw! In here!" Flamepelt whispered urgently from the safety of the medicine cats' den. Whirlpaw darted in, terrified, as she did not know any battle moves. Rowanclaw stepped up to meet Blackstar, and together, both of them stood waiting in front of all the other Clanmates. Whirlpaw stifled an urge to call out to her father, knowing that it would alert the enemies. Quickly, she scanned the clearing for a glimpse of her mother. Tawnypelt was standing rigidly in front of Snowrose, every hair on her pelt bristling.

Suddenly, the ferns parted to reveal a Windclan patrol with Onestar leading them.

"What do you want, Onestar? You're trespassing!" Blackstar hissed vehemently, his forepaw extended threateningly.

"I'm here to warn you. From tomorrow onwards, that stretch of marshy ground that was in your territory before has become ours. We will set our scent markers tomorrow. If you dare to show up, we will fight you and you will lose. That is all I have to say," Onestar spoke, turning away.

"Coward! You will not claim that piece of ground your own!" Blackstar sneered.

Onestar did nothing to show that he had heard, and stalked away until the ferns closed him from view. The Clan broke into anxious huddles, but Blackstar acted at once.

"Crowfrost, Olivenose and Dawnpelt. Track the Windclan cats to make sure they have gone from our territory. Don't let them see you."

The cats he had named nodded curtly and sped off. Blackstar silenced the anxious crowd with a loud yowl.

"Enough! We are not going to give up that piece of ground! It was ours and still will be! We will fight!" he boomed.

The Clan answered him with meows of agreement. Blackstar continued with his speech.

"Warriors, be fit and ready tomorrow morning. Scorchfur, take a hunting patrol and find as much prey as you can. Apprentices, remember your battle moves and check with your mentors. Remember, we will not give it up without a fight!"

Just then, the scouting patrol came back. "Blackstar, they have gone already," Crowfrost confirmed.

"Good. Rownclaw, tell them what I have just said. Meeting's over!" Blackstar leaped off the Highhill and gathered his senior warriors for a discussion.

"Wait! How about us?" a plaintive mew sounded from the nursery.

"Darkkit. I'm so sorry, but we'll hold your ceremony tomorrow, as soon as we win the battle," Blackstar mewed, carefully choosing his words.

"But…" Darkkit did not finish as the truth of the battle dawned on him.

In the darkness of the den, Whirlpaw turned and asked, "Flamepelt? Are…are we going to fight?" Flamepelt replied soothingly to her anxious apprentice.

"No, Whirlpaw. We will stay well clear of the battle, but we will be there with herbs if anyone is badly hurt, okay?"

Whirlpaw nodded with relief and stepped out into the sunlight, squinting as she did so. Reaching the fresh-kill pile, she picked half-heartedly at a thrush.

"You okay?" Emberpaw asked, reaching her spot with a squirrel.

"Yeah, I guess," she replied, looking into the deep blue pools of his eyes. Emberpaw sat down and pressed comfortingly against her side.

"Don't worry. I'll protect you."


	8. Chapter 7

**BAD WINDCLAN BAD! Yes, Shadowgin, they are bad... at least in my story.. Thanks for reviewing and here's the next chapter!**

Whirlpaw opened her eyes a slit at movement in the den.

Struggling to sit up, she saw her mentor muttering remedies under her breath, "Marigold for infection, daisy for scratches…"

Careful not to disturb her, Whirlpaw padded out of the den, nervousness churning deep inside her stomach. At the same time, Blackstar bounded up the Highhill and called his warriors together.

"Warriors and apprentices! The time has come to fight. Tigerheart, Shrewfoot, Ivytail, Oakfur, Smokefoot, Ratscar, Dawnpelt, Redwillow, Falconmist, Emberpaw and Tawnypelt! You will come with my deputy and me to the battle. The rest of you, stay here and defend the camp. Shadowclan will not lose!"

Blackstar yelled a battle cry and charged out of the camp. Whirlpaw's frightened eyes met Emberpaw's for a heartbeat, and then he dashed away, following the other warriors. Tawnypelt hurriedly dashed across, and gave Whirlpaw a lick.

"Be careful, mother!" she whispered.

"I will. Take care, daughter," she answered. A flicker of panic for her daughter crossed her darkened eyes, before she swerved to meet the others.

The camp became ghostly quiet after most of the warriors had gone. Kinfur and Owlclaw started to patrol the camp walls, their eyes narrowed in fierce concentration.

"Come on, Whirlpaw. We have to go too," Flamepelt called, "help me carry these herbs."

Silently, Whirlpaw took the package from her mentor, taking comfort in her warm, sweet breath. An unspoken message passed between the two, and they dashed away to the battle.

Whirlpaw's sides heaved for breath as they neared the marshy ground. All you could hear was the singing of the birds on the trees and the whispering of the leaves that drifted slowly towards the ground. Suddenly, a loud shriek followed by a challenging caterwaul tore the air apart. Screams of fury mingled with gasps of pain as cats clanged against each other. Flamepelt looked towards her apprentice and she understood.

The battle had begun.

The two cats crept behind a bush that was stationed a couple of fox-lengths away from the battle and put down their loads.

Drawing Whirlpaw closer to him, Flamepelt whispered, "Whenever you see a badly wounded cat, alert me."

Hardly able to breathe, Whirlpaw nodded. She peeked over the bush, and had to bite her tongue to not yell out loud. The clearing was torn with bloodied masses of fur. Cat's slashed and bit their enemies, howling with rage, fur bristling madly.

Whirlpaw could see Emberpaw fighting a cat that was twice his size. He darted in and out of the bigger cat's range, nipping him on the shoulder or raking his underbelly. The cat howled in frustration, but couldn't get to the nimble apprentice. Suddenly, the tom retreated a few steps and crouched down, as if in defeat. Emberpaw tensed, his haunches freezing under his belly. A heartbeat later, the cat sprang at him and both of them disappeared in a rolling ball of tooth and claw.

_Please be safe, Emberpaw! _Whirlpaw prayed in her mind.

Out of the corner of her eye, Whirlpaw spotted Crowfrost. The WindClan cat had him locked in a death grip, her teeth sunk deep in his shoulder. Crowfrost was shaking back and forth trying to escape, but she would not let go. His claws scored against her belly, and she leaped away, blood already welling out from the scratch. In that moment, Crowfrost lost it, and slumped to the ground, unconscious.

The WindClan cat glanced at his fallen body for a heartbeat, and then disappeared into the throng of battle.

After Whirlpaw had made sure that she was gone, she turned away from the scene. "Flamepelt! Flamepelt!" she called quietly. When Flamepelt came up, she pointed towards Crowfrost with her tail.

"Stay back," her mentor whispered.

His eyes darting from side to side, Flamepelt watched for any enemy cats. She put on a burst of speed, dashed out from the safety of the bushes and dragged Crowfrost back.

"Is he dead?" Whirlpaw asked fearfully.

"No. See his chest? It's still rising and falling," Flamepelt explained.

As Crowfrost opened his jaws and let out a soft moan, Flamepelt mewed, "Whirlpaw! Go get a ball of moss soaked in water. Now!"

Whirlpaw sprinted to the stream as if her life depended on it and came back with a dripping wad of moss. Flamepelt squeezed the moss and a few drips of water trickled into Crowfrost's mouth.

"Get the marigold leaves and chew them into a pulp," Flamepelt ordered tersely.

Carefully, Whirlpaw eased the marigold out of the bundle and started to chew on them, wrinkling her nose up at the spicy tang. Using the rest of the moss to dab the blood away, her mentor spread the mixture evenly on Crowfrost's wounded shoulder and he let out a squeak of pain, slowly regaining conscious. As her mentor patted cobwebs into the wound, Whirlpaw looked around into the heat of the battle.

Suddenly, she caught a glimpse of her mother, rolling around with a large gray tom. Both cats sprang away at the same heartbeat. Tawnypelt's right eye was half closed and covered with blood. The spotted WindClan tom had a nasty scratch down the length of her flank.

Quick as a snake, Tawnypelt reared up and started to swipe him with her claws rhythmically. The tom flinched, and in that single distraction, Tawnypelt leaped up and bowled him over, her teeth set deep in his hind leg. The tom yowled, and tried furiously to shake her off. Just as she was going to win that fight, another screeching pair rammed into them.

Tawnypelt loosened her grip of his back, and in that heartbeat, the tom was on the attack, locking his teeth into Tawnypelt's neck. Tawnypelt let out a screech full of pain, and went limp.

Whirlpaw shrieked in anger and fear.

"Mother!", but her voice was drowned in the loud noises of battle.

Craning her neck to see more, Onestar appeared in front of her, blocking her view from her mother. Blood dripped from a deep slash in his neck, and his tail drooped, trailing onto the ground.

"Windclan! Retreat! Retreat!" he yowled.

His warriors broke free from the iron grasps of Shadowclan warriors.

His eyes were filled with cold rage. "Don't think this is over, Blackstar."

Blackstar stalked up to him, their noses almost touching. "Oh yes, it's over, Onestar. Do not ever think ShadowClan is weak. Go, and don't come back."

The WindClan leader shot him a look full of hatred, but Onestar knew he was beaten. With a flick of his tail, Onestar gathered his warriors and raced back into their own territory.

Ignoring her mentor's, "What in the name of Starclan are you doing!", Whirlpaw sprinted into the center of the clearing where she last saw her mother.

"Mother! Tawnypelt! Mother!" she cried, hoping with all her life that she wasn't dead. Whirlpaw searched and searched.

No cat could be found. It was as if Tawnypelt had disappeared off the face of the Earth. A wave of shock and disbelief rammed into Whirlpaw. Desperate now, Whirlpaw ducked into tiny holes too small to contain any living thing, and shoved her paws into small slivers of cracks. Whirlpaw dug, hoping to catch a glimpse, just one glimpse, of her mother's splotched fur. A searing pain coursed through her paw as she wrenched a claw, her blood spraying the rock's surface. At last, Whirlpaw collapsed into the center of the clearing, her shoulders aching and her fur matted with blood and dust.

"No! Mother! Where are you?" she sobbed, "don't leave me alone!"

Suddenly, a tail rested on her shoulder.

"Whirlpaw, we have to go," came Rowanclaw's voice.

She turned around and saw that his eyes were dull with pain, whether from the battle or from losing his mate, she did not know.

"No! Don't you care about her?" she whimpered to her father.

"I do, Whirlpaw, but you have to go. It's not safe. I'll look for her, I promise. I'm sorry," he mewed, his tail drooping, and padded away.

Emberpaw came up, his eyes glistening with sympathy, and pushed his nose into her fur. "I'm so sorry."

Whirlpaw stared at him unseeingly, and whispered, her voice cracking with pain.

"She's gone, Emberpaw. I'll never see her again."


	9. Chapter 8

**Helloooooo! **

**YAY! I've finally updated, in honor of Chinese Children's Day, June the 1st!**

**Only Shadowgin reviewed for Chap 7... *sniff sniff***

**Anyways, Shadow, I DID NOT KILL HER! (**or maybe I did ;) **) u'll never know... *evil laugh***

**To the next chapter!**

Chapter 8

" Tawnypelt was a brave warrior, and we will mourn her loss greatly." Blackstar meowed solemnly.

All around the clearing, cats stood with their head bowed. Whirlpaw crouched with her nose tucked against her chest, as if to take away the scorching pain in her heart. Emberpaw crouched behind the heartbroken apprentice, pressing comfortingly against her. Rowanclaw sat beside her with his tail tucked underneath his paws, his eyes glistening with moisture, occasionally glancing towards him daughter. Even the kits were subdued.

Blackstar leaped down and padded to Whirlpaw.

"I'm sorry. This should have never happened."

A moon had passed since her mother's disappearance, but Whirlpaw never forgot about her. Every night, she lay in her nest, thinking about the warm touch of her fur, the lively twinkle in her eyes, and the soothing purrs she made when she slept. In the morning though, she tried hard to go on with her duties, and Flamepelt noticed it, silently praising her for her courage. One night, Flamepelt prodded her apprentice awake with her paw.

"Whirlpaw, it's the half-moon. We have to go to the Moonpool."

The moon shone dimly in the inky sky, as if mourning her loss together with Whirlpaw. Groaning, Whirlpaw rolled over and opened her eyes. A thought suddenly came to her. She might see her mother in Starclan!

Reaching the edge of Windclan's territory, Flamepelt noticed that her apprentice's fur was bristling with fear and anger.

"It's okay. No cat dares to attack a medicine cat. Starclan forbid!" she mewed.

Whirlpaw relaxed slightly, but still kept a wary eye on her surroundings. She scented the waiting cats long before she saw them, and the pair quickened their pace to catch up.

When they were almost there, Flamepelt mewed quietly over her shoulder, "Be nice to Kestrelwing. Remember, medicine cats don't hold grudges against each other, we unite to protect all cats."

Whirlpaw reluctantly nodded her head and they stepped over the ridge to meet them.

"Greetings, Flamepelt and Whirlpaw." Jayfeather meowed, as he was the first one to scent them.

"Come on, let's get going!" his apprentice mewed excitedly.

The cats trekked across the ground towards the Moonpool. Kestrelwing fell back beside Whirlpaw.

"I heard about your mother. I'm sorry. She was one of my best friends in Shadowclan."

Taken aback, Whirlpaw looked questioningly at him.

Purring with amusement, Kestrelwing mewed, "Oh yes. That day, I was only a tiny kit. I wandered into Shadowclan territory by mistake. When I realized it, I tried to run back, but got caught in a thorn bush. Your mother came and found me, and I thought she was going to eat me for sure!"

Eyes sparkling with amusement, he continued, "But no, she didn't. She plucked me out of the thorn bush and sent me home. It was quite a relief, I must say! From then onwards, she became one of my closest friends, and we always chatted during Gatherings."

"Wow! I never knew that!" Whirlpaw gasped with amazement, and decided that he wasn't so bad after all.

Kestrlewing's voice grew sad. "If you're thinking that WindClan is holding her hostage, we're not. Whitecrow didn't kill her for sure. That is the only thing I can promise you, Whirlpaw."

Whirlpaw felt a tiny bit better, and a tiny bit more confused. So where was she?

Just as their conversation ended, they arrived at the rocky wall leading to the Moonpool. Feeling very confident, Whirlpaw climbed up without a second thought. After every cat was there, Whirlpaw lapped up a few drops of the silver liquid, closed her eyes, and waited for Starclan to send her sleep.

A soft breeze ruffled Whirlpaw's fur. Blinking open her eyes, she saw that she was in the marshy ground that they fought for. Nightstar was standing in the middle of it, staring at her with his emerald green eyes.

"Greetings, Whirlpaw." He mewed.

Dipping her head, Whirlpaw hurried over and wasted no time by asking, "Nightstar, have you seen my mother?"

Nightstar's eyes clouded with loss, and replied, "No, Whirlpaw. She is not in Starclan. I cannot see her anywhere."

"But… Does that mean that she isn't dead?"

Nightstar shook his fur, sending glimmers of starlight cascading down onto the floor,

"I do not know, Whirlpaw. I can't sense her presence. I'm sorry." The ground started to swirl around and around, until Whirlpaw was waking up at the Moonpool, her eyes blinking open.

_She isn't dead? But where could have she gone?_

Dawn light filtered into the medicine cat's den as the two she-cats slipped in.

"Get some sleep, Whirlpaw. We ha…" a loud, piercing wail suddenly sounded from the camp walls.

Dashing outside, Whirlpaw saw the Clan's newest arrival, Brackenkit, writhing with pain on the camp floor.

"What happened?" Flamepelt asked.

His mother, Kinkfur, replied with distress, "A…A snake got him!"

Gasps arouse from the assembled Clan. Flamepelt grabbed him up by the scruff of his neck and ran into the den, closely followed by Whirlpaw. Ducking in, Whirlpaw saw that the kit's struggles had definitely became weaker. Kinkfur raced over and tried to push pass Whirlpaw, but her mate, Crowfrost, shook his head.

"Don't worry. He'll be fine."

"Whirlpaw! Grab some f the burdock root and chew it into a pulp! It works with rat poison, but I want to see if it gets rid of snake poison too," Flamepelt ordered.

Whirlpaw snatched up a fat root of burdock and chewed it up. Taking the pulp from her apprentice, she laid it over the wound. Brakenkit was already gasping for breath, and his lithe body twitched with spasms. Getting an idea, Flamepelt squeezed the juice out from the burdock root pulp, dripping it into the kit's mouth. Brackenkit's throat convulsed as he swallowed, and lay limply on the mossy nest.

"Is he alright?" Whirlpaw asked, peeking out from behind her mentor's back.

"I don't know. He seems stable now, but the poison hasn't gotten out yet. I wish we had a herb to cure snake bites!" she added, with a distressed shake of her head.

Looking back down at Brackenkit, Whirlpaw saw that he had settled into a light sleep.

Over the next few days, no one knew if Brackenkit could survive or not. He had a high fever, and coughs racked his tiny frame when her tried to breathe. Flamepelt gave him juniper and feverfew for the fever, and kept on dripping burdock juice onto his wound.

Kinkfur came to see him every day, muttering, "It's all my fault! It's my entire fault! Oh, My Brackenkit! Brackenkit, please don't leave me!"

One night, when clouds covered the moon, Whirlpaw settled into her nest, her muscles aching from collecting burdock root and caring for the kit. Drifting off, she found herself beside a big fish-shaped rock in Shadowclan territory.

_This is the place where juniper grows the best!_ She thought.

_But why am I here? _Just then, she heard a rustle behind her. Whirlpaw jumped, expecting an enemy. A spotted body slinked out instead.

"Littlecloud! Am I dreaming?" Whirlpaw mewed excitedly.

Littlecloud did not reply but pointed into the crack of the rock with her tail. Following his gaze, she saw tiny pink flowers sprouting out. Puzzled, Whirlpaw looked back at the former medicine cat.

Suddenly, the scene started to fade, and Whirlpaw cried, "Wait! Tell me what you mean!"

She could hear a voice whispering in her ear, "Remember Brackenkit, Whirlpaw."

Whirlpaw suddenly awoke when a paw nudged her, hard.

"Whirlpaw! Whirlpaw! You were mewing in your sleep! Are you alright?" Flamepelt asked anxiously, staring down at her apprentice.

"I'm… I'm fine, Flamepelt. Just a bad dream, that's all," she stammered.

"Fine, but call me if you need help. I'll be at Brackenkit's nest if you need me, okay?"

Flamepelt slipped away, still looking doubtful. Shaking moss scraps out of her pelt Whirlpaw racked her brains for an answer to her dream. _Pink flowers? Brackenkit? What if… _A light bulb suddenly went off in her head. Bolting up straight, she thought, _the snakebite!_

Whirlpaw raced out of camp, the pine forest burring around her. She had got to get there in time! She screeched to a stop when she neared the familiar rock and caught a glimpse of the dark red juniper bush. Whirlpaw stood there, her sides heaving as she caught her breath. Peering into the rock's crack, she saw the little pink flowers growing there, just the way they were in her dream. _Is it safe? _Pushing her doubt away, she nipped off a couple of stems, and breathed in the sweet tang of the flowers. Holding them gently on her tongue to prevent the juices from flowing out, Whirlpaw trotted home, her mind swirling with questions.

As she entered the den, Flamepelt drew back from her patient and looked at her in surprise, "Whirlpaw? What are those?"

Dropping the stems, Whirlpaw told her mentor everything, from her dream to the actual place where they grew. With each sentence, Flamepelt's face grew brighter and brighter, until she finished.

"That's… great! Come, let's see if it works."

Flamepelt beckoned her apprentice closer, and when she got into eye-view of Brackenkit, she saw that his fever had become worse. He twitched in pain and was giving out tiny whimpers. The snakebite had swollen until it pulsed an angry red, and yellow liquid was oozing out.

Whirlpaw grabbed some of the flowers, and as if she was trained to do so, she bit off the flowers and stuffed them into Brackenkit's mouth, stroking his throat to make sure that they had gone down. Meanwhile, she chewed up the green stems into a pulp and laid it on his wound. Almost at once, Brackenkit's breathing eased, and he sighed in his sleep. Turning around, Whirlpaw saw that her mentor was looking at her with wonder, almost awe.

"Um…" she murmured self-consciously.

"Oh! Good job! You can rest here. I'll go get some more after I tell Blackstar what happened." Recovering quickly from her shock, Flamepelt hastily slipped out of the den to report.

**Yay me for finally posting this! :P**

**School's almost over, and one of my friends is moving away to another campus... You meanie! *Grunts* Yes, I mean you, Icy. *Death glare***

**Oh well... Wish me luck for my Science test coming up! Oh, and PLEASE x 10000000000 review! :)**

**PS Please go to my profile and take the poll! **

**~Icestorm711~**


	10. Chapter 9

**HELLOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!**

**Summer break has started, huh? **

**I'm back from Orlando. Go Disney nd Universal Studios! It was BLAZING there... So hot that I melted. Literally. Now I'm Icemelt... :(**

**Though now, I need a vacation... from vacation. **

**Enough blabbering bout myself...**

**Shadowgin- HOW DARE U GO TO THE OTHER CAMPUS! Gimme Diamond. NOW. *Takes anger out on frying pan* **Woops...

**Springstar11- Thanks so much for reviewing! Yeah the whole writing about medicine cats thing is kinda driving me bonkers, but there's gonna be a major turning point later on in the story. THANKS AGAIN! ;)**

**Disk 9- FINALLY! U reviewed! Go Temple of Heaven! Go me! Go trivia! (the ones I won, at least. NOT the ones U won.)**

**OKAY THEN! CHAP 9! **(Why am I so hyper? I thought jet lag had the opposite effect...)

Chapter 9

_Great! Now my mentor thinks I'm some kind of genius! _Whirlpaw thought bitterly. Appearing from the den, she saw Emberpaw making a beeline for her.

"Whirlpaw! I've heard! Congratulations!" he mewed, breathless, as he wound around Whirlpaw.

Feeling a purr rise in her throat, Whirlpaw asked, "Emberpaw? Can you come out with me?"

Surprised, Emberpaw nodded and followed her out. Above them, the first of the stars were starting to appear, little bright spots blinking down at them. They reached a tall pine tree with a curved trunk. Without a word, they settled down, snuggled against each other for warmth. Emberpaw seemed to know what was bothering her, and didn't pester her with any questions.

They drowsily shared tongues, and when Whirlpaw was already half-asleep, Emberpaw whispered softly, too softly for her to hear, "I love you."

A paw clamped down hard onto Whirlpaw's shoulder. She jumped up and saw that mist was curling around her. She could see Emberpaw still sound asleep at the tree trunk.

"So? How's your love going?"

Whirling around, Whirlpaw saw Littlecloud sitting behind her with a very sarcastic and stinging look on his face.

"I… I…" She stammered, not meeting his eyes.

Softening his gaze, Littlecloud mewed, "You're a medicine cat, Whirlpaw. Remember that."

Whirlpaw awoke beside Emberpaw, his warm fur pressing against her. Guilt suddenly spread through her, and panicked, she leaped up.

"Whirlpaw? What's wrong?" Emberpaw mumbled, and opened his eyes. Seeing her scared expression, he sat up, suddenly alert.

"I'm sorry. I can't be with you," Whirlpaw mewed, the words hardly forming on her lips.

"But… but why! We can escape! I… I love you!" he whimpered, his mew barely audible.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry…" Whirlpaw kept repeating, backing away from him.

"Whirlpaw! Please…" Emberpaw whispered, and her heart broke at seeing him so distressed, and cowered into the foliage.

"I'm sorry!" she gasped, and tore through the brambles, Tears blurred her vision and streamed down in little rivulets. Whirlpaw ran. She dodged trees, and scraped her fur on bushes. She could never get Emberpaw's hurt face out of her mind no matter how far she ran.

Gasping, the tears kept flowing, and Whirlpaw could hear him shout, "Come back! We can sort this out!"

_I can't! I can't! I'm a medicine cat! _

Words swirled in her mind and threatened to overwhelm her.

_I'm sorry… _

Whirlpaw stopped at the edge of her territory. She knew that no matter what she did, she would never forget him. The lake swirled and shimmered, ripples appearing as fish leaped in and out. The last of her tears dried. Whirlpaw knew what to do now. She had to forget him.

She had to find her mother.

Over the next few days, Brackenkit grew healthier and healthier until he was bouncing up and down in his nest.

"Can I go and play! Puh-leese? I wanna play!"

Whirlpaw busied herself by taking care of him, and forced her to forget Emberpaw. He never forgot her, though. Emberpaw would approach her daily, but she would always make an excuse to dodge away. His face, grieved and full of agony, appeared in her dreams every time she tried to sleep.

_I love you too! _

Whirlpaw did not know what to do; she didn't want to hurt him! Whirlpaw hid. She couldn't face anyone, not even her mentor. Cats often came and praised her for finding the right herbs.

One night, Flamepelt checked Brackenkit's wound, already fading into two round scars.

"I think Brackenkit is well enough to leave."

Upon hearing that, Brackenkit leaped up, his pelt bristling with excitement.

"Oh my Starclan! Really? Thank you thank you thank you!" he mewed happily.

Flamepelt went out to call his mother while Whirlpaw stayed in the den. Brackenkit studied her drooping face.

"Are you okay?" he asked tentatively.

"What?"

Startled, Whirlpaw nodded and stammered, "Oh… yeah. I'm fine."

"I saw you, you know, with Emberpaw," the tom kit blurted out, slapping his tail over his mouth as soon as the words left.

"What?" she screeched, even louder than before, but seeing his frightened face, Whirlpaw dropped her voice to a whisper, "How?"

"Well…" Brackenkit suddenly seemed very interested in his scars.

"Come on, Brackenkit. I won't tell," Whirlpaw coaxed, trying to seem very comforting, when inside, her heart was hammering frantically.

"I…" suddenly, he straightened up and looked Whirlpaw straight in the eye.

"That day, I sneaked out and saw you and Emberpaw sleeping. Aren't you not allowed to…um…" He broke off and twitched his nose uncomfortably.

Whirlpaw realized that there was no way out, so she replied slowly, "Yes, we were. Can you keep a secret, though? I won't tell your mother that you sneaked out, and you don't say anything 'bout mine,"

She was almost pleading for him to understand.

Not noticing the sternness of the whole event, Brackenkit just nodded happily, glad to be away from her mother's wrath, "Kay! I promise!"

Just then, Kinkfur raced in and covered her son with licks, purring too hard for words.

"Oh, Brackenkit! I missed you so much!" she emphasized.

"Mom!" he protested, wriggling out of the way.

Kinkfur turned around to Whirlpaw and she saw that her eyes were brimming with tears, "Thank you, Whirlpaw. You don't know how precious he is to me…" her voice faltered and she could only stare emotionally at the medicine cat apprentice.

"Let's go back to the nursery. Tuftkit misses you a lot!" Kinkfur mewed, naming her other son that was moping in the nursery for his brother.

As the pair drew away, with Kinkfur casting one last grateful glance at Whirlpaw, Flamepelt pushed her way in, "So, how's it going, Whirlpaw?"

"Great…" she mewed back half-heartedly, and started to rearrange Brackenkit's nest, which had fallen apart from his crazy dance.

"Whirlpaw…" Sighing, Flamepelt padded around until she stood in front of her apprentice.

"Whirlpaw, whatever difficulties you have, you have to push it aside, okay?" Whirlpaw stiffened at the mention of 'difficulties' but relaxed again as she knew that her mentor did not guess her secret.

"It's the half moon tonight, and I'm going to make you a full medicine cat." Flamepelt continued. Whirlpaw's eyes went as round as saucers after she heard that. All of her hurt at Emberpaw vanished as what she was working for had been finally achieved.

_I'm going to be a real medicine cat!_

**Oh! I forgot something. Can anyone who reads/sees/glances/WHATEVER this go to my profile nd take the poll? I'll be extra glad! **

_Or u know what's in store for u..._


	11. Chapter 10

**Hey there!**

**Holidays, holidays, and more holidays! Back from the US, and now... I HAVE NOTHING TO DO AND IT'S HOT!**

**So...**

**Spottedmoth- Yes, yes... SORRY FLAME-Y! (flame-y?)**

**Wilder123- THANK YOU for reviewing! My Flamepelt/tail mistake is obvious, isn't it? Hehe... :P**

**Shadow- See me? You hafta come over sometime. Seriously. And about that challenge...**

**And finally, Disk...8? 2? No, 9!- NO FRYING PANS! *Surrendering***

**OHHHHHHH EMMMMMMMM GEEEEEE IT'S MY BIRTHDAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY! **

**I'M FINALLY A TEENAGER! :D :D :D :D :D :D**

**Wow I'm hyper today...**

**And you know what would be the best birthday present! **

**PLEASE REVIEW!**

Chapter 10

"By the powers invested in me by Starclan, I name you Whirlwind. You have successfully completed your apprenticeship, and we welcome you as a full medicine cat of Shadowclan."

Flamepelt's voice vibrated strongly around the Moonpool's hollow, and each and every cat's eyes were fixed on the pair. Resting her head on Whirlwind's shoulder, Flamepelt mewed softly, only for her to hear, "I'm proud of you. I know there's something you're not telling me. Go do whatever you need to do."

Whirlwind's shock slowly ebbed into peace and acceptance.

"Thank you, Flamepelt," she murmured.

Drawing back from her mentor, the newly named Whirlwind looked around the clearing, her eyes full of wisdom and sadness as she turned back to her mentor.

"May Starclan light your path," Kestrlewing mewed, and the others echoed him. Cherrypaw gazed enviously at Whirlwind, but at the same time, with awe. The medicine cats settled down on the edge of the Moonpool, their noses dabbing the water. Whirlwind tasted starlight and frost on her tongue, and was sent to dreamland almost immediately.

"Whirlwind? Oh, my precious kit!" a voice sounded beside her, full of love and emotion.

Whirlwind's eyes flew open, and saw the only cat she wanted to see.

"Mother!" she shrieked, tears again blurring her vision.

"Follow your heart, Whirlwind. You know your own heart, and what to do with it." Tawnypelt whispered, her gaze holding her daughter's.

Understanding flowed through Whirlwind like a rapid river. She could love Emberpaw! She sprinted towards her mother and buried her face in her fur. Drawing back, Whirlwind gasped as she saw the wounds and scratches covering Tawnypelt's coat.

"Mother! What…what happened? Where are you? I'll come to save you!"

A wild panicked look came into her mother's eyes. "Don't, Whirlwind! Don't risk your-"

Her words were abruptly cut off. A grey haze enveloped Tawnypelt, and she disappeared from view.

"Mother?"

A chilling voice spoke inside her head, sending shivers down her spine, "_Travel towards the rising sun, and in a Cave That Bites_…"

"What?" a bewildered Whirlwind gaped her mouth open, but was struggling awake back at the Moonpool.

_Travel towards the rising sun? _

Beside her, Flamepelt was snoring slightly, twitching in her sleep as she visited the cats of Starclan. Whirlwind sat up, giving herself a thorough wash, and thought about the mysterious words.

_I have to go save her! But how?_

Flamepelt woke up, disturbing her thoughts, and glanced at Whirlwind. "You okay?"

Whirlwind nodded mutely and turned her head towards the sun, peeking out form the hollow's side.

_I'll have to go there! _

Slowly, other medicine cats were waking too, and Cherrypaw bounded over, whispering, "Was it fun?"

Feeling a gush of sudden warmth towards the feisty apprentice, Whirlwind smiled and replied, "Yeah. I bet you can't wait until yours!"

"Whirlwind! Come here!" Flamepelt called from the ridge of the Moonpool.

"We need to go home now." Whirlwind padded after her, casting one last glance at the sacred pool behind her.

_Goodbye, Starclan. I'll come back._

Back at the camp, Flamepelt yawned and settled down in her nest. "Whirlwind? You can rest for the day. We'll collect some daisy tomorrow."

With that, her breathing steadied, and she fell into a deep sleep.

_I'm sorry, Flamepelt. I have to go._

Whirlwind pushed out of the den, and watched the camp slowly light up as the sun rose. Cats were beginning to wake, and soft chatter filled the camp.

_Where's Emberpaw? I need to talk to him! _

Glancing around, she spotted the brown tom appearing from the apprentice's den, his jaws gaped in a huge yawn. Whirlwind hurried over, and whispered furtively.

"Emberpaw! We need to talk! Meet me outside the dirtplace!"

Emberpaw's eyes lit up at the sight of his love, but quickly changed to confusion.

"Oh…okay," he replied, obviously confused. Whirlwhind padded away, trying to keep very cool and calm, but butterflies were churning in her stomach.

"Flamepelt? I'll go get some daisy now, okay? You can sleep for a while," Whirlwind mewed softly as she stuck her head in the medicine den.

Flamepelt gave an approving grunt before falling back to sleep. As Whirlwind turned to leave, she cast one last sad glance at her mentor before leaving. Outside, Whirlwind casually ducked out of the fern entrance and raced towards the dirtplace.

"Emberpaw!" she hissed and saw his head poke out.

"Whirlwind? What did you want to tell me?" Emberpaw mewed while looking at her with large brown eyes.

Rapidly, Whirlwind told him everything in her encounter with her mother in one big breath. At last, she pleaded, "Would you come with me? I can't make this journey alone."

Whirlwind glanced up and saw that Emberpaw's eyes were shining. "Of course I'll come with you! Do…do you forgive me?" he added hesitantly.

Whirlwind purred, and stretched out her neck to him. "Yes, Emberpaw. I've never stopped thinking about you."

"So?" Emberpaw mewed excitedly. "Are we going to leave now?"

"Shh…" Whirlwind whispered, brushing the tip of her tail over his mouth. She stiffened, hearing a rustle in the bracken behind her. Motioning to Emberpaw to follow her, Whirlwind backed away until she was hidden under a holly bush. The bracken rustled again, and Rowanclaw stepped out, chasing after a squirrel that had ran away.

When she was sure that he had gone, Whirlwind crept out, whispering, "Emberpaw. We have to go, now!"

Emberpaw nodded excitedly and raced out, "Come on! Let's go!" "Wait, Emberpaw! I have to get some traveling herbs first."

Emberpaw nodded again, and crept back into the shadows of the holly bush to wait. After confirming that he was hidden out of sight, Whirlwind dashed back into the camp, plucking some daisy for good measure.

She squeezed into the medicine cat den and saw that Flamepelt was still in dreamland, her soft snores filling the air. Careful not to wake her, Whirlwind ducked into the storage room and gathered the herbs needed for the mixture. Extending a claw, Whirlwind mixed them together, grabbed a leaf, and bundled the herbs into two packages. Whirlwind daintily plucked them up in her teeth and padded out.

"Hey, Whirlwind! Where are you going?" Nightshadow called from the opening of the warrior's den.

_Mouse dung! _Groaning inwardly, Whirlwind racked her brains for a reply.

"Oh! I'm just going to…um… get some herbs! See ya!" she mewed, sprinting away before she could ask more questions. Her sides heaving, Whirlwind screeched to a stop in front of the holly bush and set the packages down. A pair of eyes blinked at her from he darkness of the bush, and Emberpaw came out. Nudging one of the bundles towards him, Whirlwind gulped down the herbs, gagging at the bitter taste.

"Yuck!" Emberpaw swallowed the last of the herbs with a disgusted look on his face.

Then, looking towards Whirlwind, he asked, "You ready?"

Whirlwind nodded and recited the message from her mother. "Travel towards the rising sun…" Glancing up, she saw the big flame ball high up in the sky; it was sunhigh after all.

"Come on, let's get out of our territory. We should go to our stream, and follow it upstream."

"Okay!" Emberpaw gave a bounce of excitement and Whirlwind felt a flash of doubt pass through her.

_Was I right to bring him along? He's still an apprentice after all! _Whirlwind pushed her nagging thoughts away and fell in step beside Emberpaw.

As they reached the stream, Whirlwind was breathing hard. Emberpaw beckoned her closer, and when she got to the side, Emberpaw splashed her with water.

"Hey!" Whirlwind meowed indignantly, but a glimmer was in her eye. Whirlwind stepped into the stream, and was grateful for the coolness on her paws. Bending down to take a drink, she saw Emberpaw with a fish in his mouth. Whirlwind reared up, shocked.

"You caught a fish?"

Emberpaw nodded bashfully. "Yeah. That stupid thing practically leaped into my paws and begged to be caught." Whirlwind dipped her head and took a bite. The flesh was succulent, and cool juices filled her mouth, temporarily stopping her hunger pangs.

"Come on, let's leave. I don't want to get caught by a Riverclan patrol." Whirlwind mewed anxiously, scanning the area for a glimpse of fur. Polishing off the last bite, Emberpaw drew his tongue over his mouth and nodded. The two cats plodded upstream, veering away from Shadowclan patrols and Riverclan ones. Suddenly, Whirlwind halted behind a thick scent line.

"This is our border. If we pass it, we'll be on our journey for real."

Hesitating, Whirlwind cast her thoughts back into camp. Was Flamepelt searching for her? How about Rowanclaw? Will he feel the same sorrow as when her mother disappeared? A soft touch on her shoulder jolted her out of her thoughts. "Let go, Whirlwind. We have to find your mother," Emberpaw whispered as he buried his nose in her fur. "Let's go." Taking a deep breath, Whirlwind nodded and stepped past the scent line and padded off, not glancing back even once.

_Goodbye, Shadowclan._

***sniff sniff***

**I'll hafta send them on their way, then! Good luck, EmberxWhirl!**

**Once again, please please please review as a present for me. OKAY? *does puppy face***

**PS. Disk 9, gimme a frying pan! :P**


	12. Chapter 11

**Hi-llo! (yes, yes, my new made up word :P)**

**So... I'M BACK! Just had a geometry placement test and well, I think I sucked. Sigh...**

**And I've decided to post chappie 11 today!**

**Shadowgin- School's almost starting huh? Good luck in Puxi... sniff sniff...**

**Disk 9- Where were you today? I thought u had the test too... Anyways, thank's for Sapphire! :P**

**Okay! Let's START!**

Chapter 11

Outside their territory, the two young cats were more wary of their surroundings. The sun was setting, and Whirlwind leaped up onto a boulder to catch a glimpse of the sun's positioning. Plodding along, they reached a tiny cave tucked into two pine trees.

"Let's stay here for the night," Emberpaw mewed softly.

Whirlwind opened her mouth to argue but closed it again as exhaustion overwhelmed her. She flopped down onto the stone ground and Emberpaw lay down beside her, his warm pelt pressing against hers.

"Goodnight, Whirlwind," he murmured.

Within heartbeats, Emberpaw had sunk into a deep sleep, and Whirlwind turned her head to look at him, the moonlight casting shafts of light into his pelt. Her stomach growled and reminded her of the tiny shrew they had shared before. Whirlwind shifted her position, trying to get comfortable, and thinking about her own mossy nest back at camp. Finally, she dozed off into a light sleep, the stars twinkling above.

Whirlwind woke to bright sunlight streaming in, and she squinted and sat up. Panic overwhelmed her as she noticed that Emberpaw was missing. A shadow suddenly blocked the light, and a cat's outline came in. Anger burst from Whirlwind.

"I thought that you had left!"

Dropping the mice that he was carrying, Emberpaw mumbled a sorry, and spoiled his apology by adding, "I caught something, though!"

Whirlwind sighed and nodded her thanks as she gulped the prey down.

"You ready?" she asked after the mouse had disappeared through her gullet.

Emberpaw stood up, stretched, and ducked out of the cave. The two cats started onto their journey again, always keeping the sun in front of them. They passed a field full of tall, waving stems, and the cool breeze cooled their aching muscles. The stems rustled, and a panicked vole dashed out, squeaking in high pitches. A well-aimed blow snapped its spine instantly, and Whirlwind turned back to Emberpaw with the limp body in her jaws. She took her share of the prey and after their bellies were full, the cats trotted out of the field. Inhaling deeply, Whirlwind coughed as though something had choked her.

"What…is that?" Emberpaw sniffed too, and wrinkled up his nose.

They squeezed through a prickly hedge, and halted. In front of them, a big back winding path stretched so far they could not see the end. The scent of Twolegs was so overpowering that the two cats stepped back.

"What in Starclan?" Whirlwind choked out.

Emberpaw just had time to meow, "It's a Thunderpath," before a huge monster swept by, it's unnaturally huge eyes glittering with malice.

The monster roared in anger and Whirlwind could see a full-grown Twoleg sitting in its belly.

_Did it eat him? _

"Wha?" Whirlwind mewed confusingly.

"It's a weird path that Twolegs built. They go on it with monsters."

Emberpaw explained. "We have to go through it," Whirlwind made up her mind, and put a paw onto the oily ground.

The heat of the sun-baked road seared through her, and she quickly stepped back with an, "Ow!"

Looking at Emberpaw, she heard him mew over the loud din.

" On the count of three, okay?"

Whirlwind nodded, and faced the Thunderpath once again. Emberpaw raised his head and sniffed deeply. Looking both sides, he started to give the order.

"One, two, three!"

The cats darted forward and dashed across the path. Whirlwind's heart was hammering so fast she knew that even Shadowclan could hear it. Suddenly, a monster appeared on the horizon, and was gaining fast onto them. The stink of the monster choked her, and black dust swirled in front of her as she screwed up her eyes. The monster was only a mouse length behind her now. Whirlwind tried to run faster, but her muscles would not listen.

She heard Emberpaw shriek, "Whirlwind!", before something slammed into her, and everything was black.

A soft nose prodded her, and she let out a soft sigh as it reduced the aches in her muscles. Her eyes opened just a slit, and Whirlwind saw a hazy image of a cat standing over her. Fully opened them, Whirlwind struggled to sit up but a gentle paw pushed her down again. Green moss covered what seemed like a cave, and light reflected off them, causing them to shimmer and sparkle. Whirlwind got a good look at the cat. A lithe body, brown and milky stripes, a pair of shining blue eyes… Littlecloud!

"Littlecloud! Am… am I in Starclan?" her voice croaked and seemed like it was not hers, and her muscles groaned and creaked as she tried to stand up.

"Lie down, little one. Whirlwind, sleep, and you will be fine," Littlecloud mewed, touching her battered body with her paw.

Warmth flooded through her body, and Whirlwind sank into the moss, giving way to darkness once again.

"Whirlwind? Wake up!" a voice pleaded urgently. "Wake up! We have to find your mother!" Whirlwind blinked her eyes open, seeing Emberpaw sigh with relief.

"I…I thought you were... dead," his voice dropped an octave at the last word. Ignoring her protesting muscles, Whirlwind reached up and touched his forehead with her nose.

"I'm fine now. Don't worry," thinking in her heart that she was definitely not fine.

"Here, I brought you some fresh-kill." Emberpaw pawed a mouse towards her. Suddenly feeling ultra hungry, Whirlwind wolfed the prey down, licking her jaws after it was demolished. Emberpaw peeked outside at the sunny bright day.

"You know, we could stay here for a while, until you're better." He meowed, still looking longingly outside. Whirlwind could hear the doubt in his voice even if she didn't look.

"Nah, I'm ready. Let's move!" When she tried to stand up, though, Whirlwind felt an excruciating pain run through her legs, so intense that she gasped and flopped back down.

"Nev… never mind," she mewed hurriedly.

Taking deep breaths, she tried to regain her composure and glanced outside. A milky white line traced the horizon, and the fat red sun was slowly sinking below it, saying goodbye to the world. Within seconds, the sky was a light grey, and nighttime hunters began to roam the fields.

Whirlwind slipped into a doze while Emberpaw scanned the trees for any prey. When she woke up, Emberpaw had already gathering a small pile of prey and was crunching on a pigeon's wing. He pointed his tail towards the pile, indicating for Whirlwind to have some. Nibbling on a mouse bone left her gloomy and sad. Her stomach was full but her mind empty. Whirlwind's eyelids grew heavy and she fell asleep, the half eaten bone still in her mouth.

Whirlwind's dreams were chaotic and confusing. A huge Twoleg place loomed in front of her. Barking dogs and cats twice her size blocked her in every direction, and each turn and twist opened into a new horror. Suddenly, Emberpaw's form unfolded in front of her, the faint rise and fall of his chest slowing down until it stopped completely.

"No!"

Jumping up as a paw gently touched her shoulder, Whirlwind opened her eyes to see Emberpaw sitting beside her.

You're pale. Did you have a bad dream?"

Gazing up at him, it was hard for Whirlwind to explain what she saw, whose broken body lay in the Twoleg place. Whirlwind just shook her head wordlessly, and Emberpaw seemed to know that she didn't want to talk about it. Whirlwind stood up, feeling her injured muscles loosen up from the night's sleep.

Stretching, she mewed. "I think I'm well enough. Let's go on."

Emberpaw peered at her doubtfully, wondering what was it in her that wanted to move on so fast.

Whirlwind trotted out of the cave, feeling the cool breeze whisper in her ears. Turning her head towards the sun, she saw endless meadows of soft green grass. Big white fluffy animals dotted the meadows, and occasionally, a dog would run out barking at the cloud like things.

"We have to go there." Whirlwind turned her head, searching for Emberpaw.

A momentarily flash of panic overwhelmed her, as there was no sign of him. Suddenly, a bush beside her shook violently, and Emberpaw burst out.

"Mrrreow!"

Catching Whirlwind on her shoulders, he pushed her down softly, but kept his paws around her to break her fall.

"Hey!" Whirlwind cried indignantly, but her eyes were sparkling with laughter. She shoved back, feeling a sense of satisfaction as Emberpaw was thrown to the ground with an, "Oof!" This time, Whirlwind went on the attack, bowling him over and sinking her teeth gently into his scruff, careful not to draw blood. The two young cats tussled for a moment, all their worries gone, only replaced by happiness and freedom.

"Ha! I win!" Whirlwind declared, blocking Emberpaw's four legs from any kind of escape.

"That's because I let you," he teased, slithering out of her grasp like a snake.

Purring, Emberpaw reached up and nuzzled her chin. "I love you." He whispered.

"Me too."

**So... This chap's done too!**

**The chapters later will come up a TINYYY bit slower cuz school's starting. **

**And anyone who has read until here please review! Really! Please! **

**Okay? Hehe... See ya guys!**

**~Stormy~**


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